(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Actor/Director Robert Duvall born January 5, 1931, San Diego, California. Nominated six times for an Oscar, winning Best Actor in a Leading Role for: "Tender Mercies" (1983), "Colors" (1988), perhaps remembered best as Tom Hagen in "The Godfather", and Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore in "Apocalypse Now" (1979); appeared in 93 movies. Also appeared in many TV shows. The photo above is from “Assassination Tango (2002), a thriller about one of his favorite hobbies, the dance tango.

Currently the interim president of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association, Washington, D.C., Ralph Petta has been on the staff for over 20 years, where his title put him in charge of research and industry services. In reality, Leasing News believes he has been a key person in the industry for many years, who has contributed more than being a top professional; many insiders consider him the silent "unsung hero" of the leasing industry, especially for he long time work with the Financial Accounting and Standards Board, where it is said he can visit the Connecticut office and everyone knows him by his first name. His role in 2009 for the entire industry has been outstanding.

It is not just being a paid professional and staff liaison, but his "above and beyond" silent work that has made a profound contribution to the finance and leasing industry, taking very little credit for himself. Committee, board members, past presidents and chairmen, have considered him a "steady force" toward the growth of the finance and leasing industry, working really hard to represent the center of the plate matters of interest to all, despite the current economy and political atmosphere.

The entire industry is better for Ralph Petta’s career contribution since 1987. His actions in prior years, and particularly in 2009, reflect the man’s dedication and excellent character, which is worthy of being named Leasing News Person of 2009.

In addition to the Leasing News Advisory Board, also taking part in the nomination process were Paul J. Menzel, CLP, 2005, Paul A. Larkins, 2006; Robert Teichman, CLP, 2008.

Boston, MASenior leader in companies of varying size and scope, including start-ups. My current focus is sales, as a leader or as an individual contributor. thomasherlihy33@comcast.net

Cherry Hill, NJ College grad seeking entry level sales position for equipment leasing and financing in small to mid-size ticket markets. Have 6 months experience in the industry and self-motivated. Contact Matt at 609-280-2178 or
email at mkuzan@gmail.com

Pittsburgh, PA
Over 25 years of leasing experience including Captive, Dealer, Broker, and Third Party. Multiple equipment types. Seeking a Territory or National Sales position. vsiegel2@aol.com

San Francisco Bay Area:
Business Development “Hunter” with transferable book of business in multiple segments: commercial construction, technology, fitness, etc. Years of managerial experience: can also be a “player/coach”.
E-mail: VdrPgmBizDev@aol.com

In addition to my last article on what it takes to create a leasing company you need to consider the time it takes to breakeven. Book income is difficult because your expenses are up front from a cash flow perspective but you must amortize them over the life of the lease such as sales commissions, credit investigation fees, etc. It is called IDC expense. In addition income is slow to develop.

Income for book purposes is on the interest method for finance leases and on the straight line method for operating leases. Let’s look at income to see how it develops. Here is an example of a $100,000 lease for 60 months at a rate of 10% with a 6% money cost. It will produce the following “Gross “income each month the first year after money costs and before expenses:

Finance lease income:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

$327

$322

$317

$312

$307

$302

$296

$292

$286

$281

$276

$271

Operating lease income:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

$169

Now consider how many deals you have to make to cover your expenses and make a profit and after you extend the income numbers on your worksheet and place in the volume that you hope to create you will probably see that the number of months it takes usually is greater than 30 months. In addition you must create a lease loss reserve equal to a percentage of your outstandings that your accountant or auditor is comfortable with and usually it amounts to 2% to 4% depending on the quality of credits you hold and your delinquency levels. Plus while the lease loss reserve is being created any actual losses will be charged to income as they occur. So as IDC and actual up front expenses are paid including collecting and remitting taxes to the various states the upfront cash flow will not be offset by much income.

There is a contrast between the need to have true leases so you can realize value from residual sales and finance leases where income is quicker. However true leases can be difficult because they usually require operating lease classification for GAAP increasing the time to breakeven. Also you cannot offer any rate reduction from tax advantages because unless you have a parent company that can use the depreciation it is of no value leaving you less compete. The real problem is lasting long enough to reach breakeven.

You also need to run the numbers on short term leases because the income is faster but lower due to the short nature of the lease term.

Many banks have asked me is it smarter to form a leasing division or to form a new subsidiary. I much prefer the division because you can tap into the banks loss reserve and there is less presser to make income quickly. Too many banks set up leasing operations and expect to make money in a few months. If you are starting from scratch it takes a long time to create a volume that covers expenses and offers a small profit.

If you plan to start a leasing operation please create a business plan and do a good job of detailing your expenses and have an accountant do an income spread sheet and be very conservative on lease volumes.

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty years and can be reached at leaseconsulting@msn.com or 502-327-8666.
He invites your questions and queries.

The National Association of Credit Managers, representing 19,000 business credit and financial professionals worldwide, issued their December survey and reports, "The overall conclusion from this month’s data is that the economy remains weak, but headed in the right direction. The slow thaw in the credit markets is still taking place and there are signs of expansion in both the manufacturing and service sectors. There has been no sign of explosive growth thus far, but that is consistent with most of the other assessments on the economy. The improvement in 2010 looks more feasible, but there are still no fireworks in the immediate future."

"... manufacturing ended its ten-month run of positive growth. It is likely that the New Year will bring some progress again, but this dip in the index demonstrates that there are still problems in manufacturing that will take some time to correct, said Chris Kuehl, economist for the NACM.

The NACM report states, "During the depths of a recession, the most common reaction is for companies to try to stretch out their creditors in order to maintain cash flow and reserves. As the recession begins to wane, these companies begin to consider the future and start to take steps that will position them for recovery. They start to catch up on their debt so they can request more credit when they need it. The index shows more dollar collections and more credit extended, which is consistent with these past patterns.

"As with the combined index, the most striking difference was in the unfavorable category. Bankruptcies moved up sharply as the reading dropped from 55.4 to 46.6. The manufacturing sector has been hit hard by the recession and many companies have been unable to hang on for the expected recovery. The bulk of the closures are taking place in the hard-hit sectors like automotive and construction, but there has been an even more obvious concentration geographically. Michigan continues to have major issues and new problems have been in states like California and Arizona. Many companies created due to the opportunities in the boom have gone by the wayside and their bankruptcies are starting to show up prominently in the data supplied to the index. Kuehl said, “It would appear that this problem will continue into the coming year as the stronger companies push to gain market share at the expense of those with less resilience. The manufacturing sector is still dealing with very low capacity utilization and that will remain a drain on the sector’s progress for some time to come. Traditionally that number is close to 80% and at the moment it is barely over 70%—a level not seen since the 1980s recession.”

Service Sector:

"The surge in holiday spending was late in arriving, but did show up and the index reflects this advance in sales activity, jumping from 53.7 to 57.5, twice what the index showed in December 2008. The retail season has been judged positive by most analysts and the CMI reflects that assessment. Most of the other favorable factors were flat, but there was modest growth."

December 2009 vs. December 2008

The performance of the CMI continues to look very solid compared to the doldrums experienced a year ago, but in a couple of months there will be an opportunity to compare recovery periods.

“There has been a pretty consistent performance since April 2009, and by the time we reach April 2010 there should be a more solid level of expansion, "NACM economist Kuehl predicted.”If this doesn’t start to manifest itself there will be renewed fears of a double dip recession.”

Specialty Funding, Albuquerque, New Mexico (11/09)"Based on our banks new guidance line covenants we will no longer be accepting third party originations. We will still be funding our vendor and direct business with a limited footprint of the southwest region only."

Dolsen Leasing Company, Yakama, WA (12/09) Joanie Dolsen retires: "Our Bellevue office will be closing and we are consolidating all remaining leasing activities to our corporate office in Yakima where all of our other companies are located."

Westborough, MA. ZRG Partners, the global leader in executive search for the equipment leasing and finance market, is pleased to announce the opening of new offices in Frankfurt, Germany. Heading up the Frankfurt offices will be Stephan Breitfeld.

Stephan brings 13 years of retained search experience to ZRG working with several leading global retained search firms in the region.

ZRG Partners is a U.S. based, global retained search firm with a 10 year operating history. The firm is regarded as one of the top emerging retained search boutiques. ZRG operates globally with offices in the U.S., Canada and Asia Pacific and Europe and maintains an active presence in Latin America.

"Last year, we conducted multiple projects across both Eastern and Western Europe for our multinational leasing and commercial finance clients so having an office in Frankfurt will help us better support these needs in the region. We anticipate additional office openings in Europe in key regions in the coming 12-24 months”.

Stephan Breitfeld related, “I am pleased to join ZRG and take the Z Score tools to my clients in Europe as well as support the needs of the firm in Europe. The landscape in executive search is changing and helping clients to make great hiring decisions for critical roles is important. ZRG’s suite of services will bring much needed state of the art solutions to the German market”.

The banking industry has been turned upside down. Expenses are going up and banks are being asked to do more from a regulatory standpoint. Since the federal government is tightening the reins during these hard economic times, it’s important for financial institutions alike to be as efficient as possible and find better ways to reserve their assets.

Reliance Bank is a locally owned and operated bank in Limestone County, Alabama with a focus on serving both the consumer and commercial needs of the community. Recently celebrating its 10th year in business, Reliance Bank has experienced tremendous growth with 6 locations throughout Limestone County since its inception in December 1998. Currently, the bank has over $150,000,000 in total assets and employs over 45 people.

Assessing Your Assets

Imagine you’re a bank and you lose or misplace someone’s financial information – it would cause huge concern for both the bank and more so, the customer. While it doesn’t happen a lot, banks cannot afford this potential problem. Being able to easily scan in a customer’s information and then give it back to them would be a simple and easy step to creating a preventative approach. Reliance Bank took no chances and turned to Cabinet NG (CNG) and their Shared Access Filing Environment (CNG-SAFE) to help the bank accelerate its business processes and prevent lost, misplaced and misrouted documents.

CNG-SAFE moves beyond the inefficient tree structure filing systems of the past with a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface. As a result, users achieve powerful performance using the visual familiarities of cabinets, folders and documents. This unique approach reduces overall workload and consolidates information into a multi-user workflow environment that is secure and efficient and is accessible in all of Reliance Bank’s branch locations. CNG-SAFE helps speed up the banks’ approval process, avoid misplaced documents, improve communication and makes everyone more efficient.

It is very important for companies to find better ways of conducting business during these hard economic times, especially in the banking/finance industry. “A bank’s number one asset is its loans, so anything we can do to help us better communicate in the bank about those loans is going to be a plus – and that’s exactly what CNG does – provides a better way to reserve efficiency and our assets,” said David Kinchler, CEO of Reliance Bank.

Kinchler says the top areas that CNG-SAFE is bringing to Reliance Bank are:

· Ability to streamline the lending process
· The ability to communicate easily from branch to branch – bank to examiner – bank to outside loan review has greatly improved
· Efficiency in time management – now there is more time to make calls and drive business to the bank
· Reduction in storage and time spent putting a loan file together or even looking for a file
· Save money from not buying expensive filing cabinets, files, paper and other office supplies
· Reducing their carbon footprint and moving towards a paperless office

Since banks are measured by ratio of assets to employees, with CNG, Reliance Bank is able to have a higher amount of total assets per employee than the competition. “We’re able to do more with less people and that’s a big plus,” said Kinchler. “And we’ve seen that since day one.

Savings as Least Important in Financial New Year's Resolution Survey
Credit Counseling Executives List Saving as Number One Tip for Financial Stability

Silver Spring, MD – In its monthly online poll, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) asked consumers about their financial New Year’s Resolutions. More than 6,100 consumers responded as follows:

“Decreasing debt is certainly a worthwhile goal. However, seeing only six percent of respondents citing saving as a top financial priority is worrisome,” said Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the NFCC. “The problem is compounded when contrasted against the advice given by the NFCC Member Agency CEOs who listed savings as their number one tip for financial stability. This disparity suggests a real need for financial education.”

Without adequate savings, a person is on a slippery financial slope. When the inevitable emergency occurs, resolution options are often limited to borrowing from friends or family, taking money from a higher payment priority such as housing, or charging the expense and adding to an already burdensome debt load.

The NFCC recommends designating 10 percent of each paycheck toward building a rainy day fund. At the end of a year, you’ll have a little more than one month’s income set aside which should be sufficient for most emergencies.

Squeezing even an extra 10 percent out of an already tight budget can often be challenging. “The most effective way of finding hidden money in your budget is to track your spending for 30 days,” continued Cunningham. “Being able to see in black and white where your money goes allows you to make conscious decisions about your spending moving forward. You will finally be in control of your money instead of the other way around.”

You and your family deserve a financial safety net in the form of an adequately funded savings account. If you need help making that goal a reality, speak to a trained and certified counselor. To locate the NFCC Member Agency closest to you, dial (800) 388-2227, or go online to www.DebtAdvice.org. For assistance in Spanish, call (800) 682-9832.

The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), founded in 1951, is the nation’s largest and longest serving national nonprofit credit counseling organization. The NFCC’s mission is to promote the national agenda for financially responsible behavior and build capacity for its members to deliver the highest quality financial education and counseling services. NFCC Members annually help more than three million consumers through close to 850 community-based offices nationwide. For free and affordable confidential advice through a reputable NFCC Member, call (800) 388-2227, (en Español (800) 682-9832) or visit www.nfcc.org.

“I was rescued by a family who love me very much, but who don't have the time and room to keep me. I'm very smart and friendly and I love playing with my people and with other dogs. I'll make a great addition to some family, so if you're looking for a new companion, please come check me out.

“If you're interested in submitting an application to adopt me, or if you want to come and see me on the weekends, please send an email to ppl@petprolife.org or call the PPL hotline at (714) 964-3593.”

About Our Rescue Group...
Pet Pro Life Adoption & Placement, Inc. is a non-profit, all-volunteer group established in 1994. Our goal is to decrease the total number of animals being euthanized in animal shelters each year by finding new, permanent homes for them and by creating public awareness of our cause through education programs and grass roots community networking. Our animals come from a variety of circumstances. Some are rescued from "Death Row" at local shelters, while others are brought to us by their owners as an alternative to the shelter.

1987-The first year in which the federal budget exceeded $1 trillion was the fiscal year 1988. The budget submitted to Congress by President Ronald Wilson Reagan totaled $1,024.3 billion, or $1.024 trillion, which included revenues of $916.6 billion and projected deficit of $107.8 billion.

1643-The first divorce granted, Quarter Court, Boston, MA. “Anne Clarke, beeing deserted by Denis Clarke hir husband and, and hee refusing to accompany with hir, she is graunted to bee divorced, his refusal was under his hand, and seale, which hee gave before Mr. John Winthrop, Junr. Mr. Emanuel Downing, Mr. Nehemiah Bo'ne (Bourne) and Richard Babington, alsoe hee confsseth hee liveth in adultery with one, by whom he hath had 2 and refuseth hir which hee had two children by.”
1779- American naval officer Stephen Decatur birthday (whose father and grandfather, both also named Stephen Decatur, were also seafaring men), born at Sinepuxent, Maryland. In a toast at a dinner in Norfolk in 1815, Decatur spoke his most famous words, quoted often today by both men and women in the military," Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong." This has been slightly changed to modern times, but that was the original quote. Dueling was "popular" to settle arguments in early America where everyone had a gun and used it. Mortally wounded in a duel with Commodore James Barton, at Bladensburg, Maryland, on the morning of March 22,1820, Decatur was carried to his home in Washington where he died a few hours later.
1781-- British naval expedition led by former American General Benedict Arnold burns Richmond, VA.http://www.lbdb.com/TMDisplayLeader.cfm?PID=5759
1794-Birthday of the Southern agriculturist, Edmund Ruffin, born at Prince George County, VA. His discoveries of crop rotation and fertilizer, learned from journals of George Washington, was influential in the early agrarian culture of the US. He published the Farmer's Register from 1833 to 1842, a journal that promoted scientific agriculture. A noted politician as well as a farmer, he was an early advocate of Southern secession whose views were widely circulated in pamphlets. As a member of the Palmetto Guards of Charleston, he was given the honor of firing the first shot on Fort Sumter April 12, 1861. After the South's defeat he became despondent and, wrapping himself in the Confederate flag, took his own life on June 18, 1865, at Amerlia County, VA, writing in his diary the reason this choice “...I here repeat and would willingly proclaim my unmitigated hatred to Yankee rule--to all political, social and business connections with Yankees, and the perfidious, malignant and vile Yankee race."http://www.dixienet.org/spatriot/lastwrds.htmlhttp://www.oldnewspublishing.com/edmund.htm
1804-- Ohio legislature passes first laws restricting free blacks movement.
1835 -it was a record cold morning in the eastern U.S. The temperature plunged to 23 degrees below zero on the Yale campus in New Haven, CT and to 40 degrees below zero in the Berkshire Hills of Connecticut.
1836-- Davy Crockett arrives in Texas to join others to fight for freedom from Mexico.http://www.americanwest.com/pages/davycroc.htm
1838 - President Martin Van Buren issues a neutrality proclamation forbidding US citizens from taking part in the Canadian insurrection. The privately owned US steamship Caroline, leased by Canadian revolutionaries, has been destroyed by Canadian militiamen on 29 December. President Van Buren orders General Winfield Scott to post militamen along the Canadian frontier.
1846 - Boldly reversing its long-standing policy of "free and open" occupation in the disputed Oregon Territory, the U.S. House of Representatives passes a resolution calling for an end to British-American sharing of the region. The British agreed to abandon their claim to the area north of the Columbia and accept the 49th parallel as a border. The Hudson Bay Company already had decided to relocate its principal trading post from the Columbia River area to Vancouver Island, leaving the British with little interest in maintaining their claim to area. Despite the cries of betrayal from the advocates of the 54th parallel, Polk wisely accepted the British offer to place the border on the 49th parallel. The new boundary not only gave the U.S. more territory than it had any legitimate claim to, but it also left Polk free to pursue his next objective: a war with Mexico for control of the Southwest.
1861-- Alabama troops seize Forts Morgan and Gaines at Mobile Bay
1861-- 250 Federal troops are sent from New York to Fort Sumter
1884- a severe arctic outbreak hit the Midwest, sending Des Moines to a low of 30 degrees below zero and Indianapolis to a low reading of 25 degrees below zero. Peoria, Illinois had a record low reading of 27 degrees below zero.
1885-Revolutionize produce delivery, the fist piggyback railroad operation began on the Long Island Rail Road in New York State. A produce train, consisting of eight flatcars for carrying farmers' wagons, eight cars to carry their horses, and a coach for teamsters, left Albertson's station, railroad station on Long Island. It arrived at 6:30am at Long Island City, where a ferry carried the wagons across the East River to New York City.
1895 – Guitarist/Singer/Composer Elizabeth Cotten born near Chapel Hill, North Carolina; one of America's great early female folk singers.http://www.eclectica.org/v1n1/nonfiction/demerlee.html1895-Jeannette Ridlon Piccard birthday, the first woman to qualify as a free balloon pilot(1934.) One of the first women to be ordained an Episcopal priest (1976). Pilot for record-setting balloon ascent into stratosphere ( from Dearborn, MI, Oct 23, 1934)(57,579 feet) with her husband Jean Felix Piccard. Identical twin married to identical twin. Died at Minneapolis, MN, May 17,1981.
1904 -34ºF (-36.7ºC), River Vale NJ (state record)
1904 -42ºF (-41.1ºC), Smethport PA (state record)
1906 –Trumpet player Wild Bill Davison birthdayhttp://www.jazzcanadiana.on.ca/_DAVIDS.htmhttp://www.mp3.com/wild-bill-davison/artists/21106/biography.htmlhttp://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=15926
1906—Trumpet player Wendell Culley Birthdayhttp://www.mp3.com/Wendell-Culley/artists/52196/biography.htmlhttp://rewards.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,419191,00.html?artist=
Wendell+Culley ( perhaps best known for his solo on “Lil Darlin' ”, also played with Lionel Hampton and featured on “Airmail Special” and “Midnight Sun.” he alternated between third and lead trumpet player ( the third trumpet player is always the alternate lead trumpet player and often the first and third switch during a tune for many reasons, including they play the highest notes---until Stan Kenton introduced Maynard Ferguson and others brought on “screamers.”
One of the best Basie albums with Culley:http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?j=1andCategoryID=cat02007andid=64000andskuId=1935838andtype=productandref=25andloc=SMXandDCMP=
KNC-TLC (Listen to “Whirly Bird.” Neal Hefti was the arranger here, one of Frank Sinatra's favorites, too.)
1913--the record low temperature for the state of Utah was set at Strawberry Tunnel. The thermometer plunged to 50 degrees below zero.
1914-Henry Ford announced that all that all Ford Motor Company employees would receive a minimum wage of $5 a day. This was a major move in its day as wages went from $2.40 for a 9-hour day to $5.00 for an 8-hour day. Ford explained the policy as “profit sharing and efficiency engineering.” The more cynical attributed it to an attempt to prevent unionization and to obtain a docile workforce that would accept job speedups. To obtain the minimum wage an employee had to be of “good personal habits.” Whether an individual fit these criteria was determined by a new office created by Ford Motor Company---the Sociological Department.
1918- Canadian clarinetist and bandleader Dal Richards was born in Vancouver. Richards was music director and bandleader at the Hotel Vancouver's Panorama Roof for 25 years, from 1940 to 1965. Among the vocalists with his band was his wife, Lorraine McAllister. Richards also became a familiar figure during halftime shows at BC Lions football games.
1923- Sam Phillips, owner of the legendary Sun Records in Memphis, was born in Florence, Alabama. Many music historians say Sun was where rock 'n' roll began. Certainly, Phillips was the first to record the black- influenced music of such young white singers as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins in 1954. Phillips began by recording such black artists as Howlin' Wolf and Jackie Brenston, whose "Rocket '88" from 1951 is often cited as the first rock 'n' roll record. But Phillips had also dreamed of finding a white singer who could sing in a black style - and in 1954 he did. Elvis Presley recorded five hit singles for Sun before Phillips sold his contract to RCA in 1956 for $35,000.
Phillips sold Sun Records in 1969, but he had already assured his place in rock history. The original Sun Studio on Union Avenue in Memphis is now open as a tourist attraction. Much of the soundtrack for the 1989 Jerry Lee Lewis film biography "Great Balls of Fire" was recorded there.
1925-Nellie Taylor (Mrs. William B) Ross became the first woman to serve as governor upon her inauguration in Wyoming. She had previously finished out the term of her husband, who died in office. In 1974, Ella Grasso of Connecticut became the first woman to be elected governor.
1933-Prohibition was repealed. The Twenty-First Amendment was adopted when it was ratified by Utah, the 36 th state to do so. Prohibition in the U.S. was thereby repealed.
1933 - The Golden Gate Bridge, that spans the channel at the entrance to the San Francisco Bay, went under construction. When finished, it was called an engineering marvel.
1934 - Both baseball's National and American Leagues decided to use a standard size baseball, making it the first time in 33 years they both used the same size ball.
1940 - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) heard FM radio for the first time. The new medium of FM, free of interference and static, was developed by Major E.H. Armstrong. In 1941, the first FM transmitter was put in operation.
1941 - Carmen Miranda recorded Decca record #23210, "Chica Chica Boom Chic". She sang the song in the film, "That Night in Rio". 1948 - Movie theater audiences were given a treat when Warner Brothers-Pathe showed the very first color newsreel, with pictures of the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football classic.
1942-- John B. Hughes of the Mutual Broadcasting Company, opens an attack on Japanese Americans in California. He charges they are engaged in espionage and their dominance in produce production and control of the food supply are part of a master war plan.http://bss.sfsu.edu/tygiel/Hist427/1940sphotos/internment/internment.htmhttp://www.janm.org/projects/clasc/resources.htm
1943--*WALKER, KENNETH N. (Air Mission) Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Brigadier General, U.S. Army Air Corps, Commander of V Bomber Command. Place and date: Rabaul, New Britain, 5 January 1943. Entered service at. Colorado. Birth: Cerrillos, N. Mex. G.O. No.: 13, 11 March 1943. Citation: For conspicuous leadership above and beyond the call of duty involving personal valor and intrepidity at an extreme hazard to life. As commander of the 5th Bomber Command during the period from 5 September 1942, to 5 January 1943, Brig. Gen. Walker repeatedly accompanied his units on bombing missions deep into enemy-held territory. From the lessons personally gained under combat conditions, he developed a highly efficient technique for bombing when opposed by enemy fighter airplanes and by antiaircraft fire. On 5 January 1943, in the face of extremely heavy antiaircraft fire and determined opposition by enemy fighters, he led an effective daylight bombing attack against shipping in the harbor at Rabaul, New Britain, which resulted in direct hits on 9 enemy vessels. During this action his airplane was disabled and forced down by the attack of an overwhelming number of enemy fighters.
1945 –In Japan, young pilots become Kamikaze, or "Divine Wind."
The suicidal blitz of the Kamikazes revealed Japan's desperation in the final months of World War II. Most of Japan's top pilots were dead, but youngsters needed little training to take planes full of explosives and crash them into ships. At Okinawa, they sank 30 ships and killed almost 5,000 Americans, including “human” torpedoes who made sure they found their target. The war in Iraq with suicide bombers is very similar.
1945 - Admiral Smith leads a force of cruisers and destroyers to shell Iwo Jima, Haha Jima and Chichi Jima. There is a simultaneous attack by USAAF B-29 Superfortress bombers.
1945 - Admiral McCrea leads three cruisers and nine destroyers to bombard Suribachi Wan in the Kuriles.
1947—Birthday of Kathy Switzer, American athlete, who had been refused permission to enter the Boston Marathon but got a number in 1967 as K. Switzer. While racing she was discovered to be a girl. Front page photos seen throughout the world, show race officials chasing her, trying to pull her number off. She outmaneuvered them with the help of a couple of male runners and finished the race. As a member of the Syracuse University track team, she was promptly suspended from the Amateur Athletic Union for "running without a chaperon!" It wasn't until five years later that women were officially allowed to run in the race with men. In 1979 KS began organizing women's racing meets.http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/tindall/timelinf/marathon.htm
1955 - A song from a "Studio One" production took over the #1 spot on the pop music charts. For four weeks, Joan Weber's, "Let Me Go, Lover", maintained the top spot on the hit parade. Before airing on television, the song had been heard on a limited basis, under a different title, was "Let Me Go, Devil".
1955- Laven Baker's "Tweedle Dee" enters the R and B chart. It will later peak at #4 and become the first of Baker's 13 R and B Top Twenty hits.
1956-- Elvis Presley records "Heartbreak Hotel"
1956 - Screen actress Grace Kelly announced to the press her marriage engagement to Monaco's Prince Ranier III.
1957---Top Hits
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Green Door - Jim Lowe
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1957-- Dodgers' Jackie Robinson retires rather than be traded to New York Giants
1957 - In response to the increasingly tense situation in the Middle East, President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a proposal to Congress that calls for a new and more proactive U.S. policy in the region. The "Eisenhower Doctrine," as the proposal soon came to be known, established the Middle East as a Cold War battlefield. In the summer of 1958, nearly 15,000 U.S. troops were sent to help quell the disturbances in Lebannon.
1958--Coral Records releases what proves to be Buddy Holly's last record before his death, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", which was one of the few songs that Buddy recorded that he didn't write. It was penned by Paul Anka and peaked at #13 two months after Holly was killed.
1961 - "Mr. Ed", the show about a talking horse, debuted for the episode of a six- year run. The show starred Alan Young as Ed's owner, Wilbur Post, and Connie Hines as Wilbur's wife, Carol. Neighbor, Roger Addison, was played by Larry Keating who was not the only neighbor confounded by Ed's antics during the show's run. Mr. Ed was voiced by Allan ‘Rocky' Lane.
1963- The co-founder of Chess records, Leonard Chess, tells Billboard, "As it stands today, there's virtually no difference between rock and roll, pop and rhythm and blues. The music has completely overlapped."
1964 — The Chargers rout the Patriots 51-10 in the AFL title game as fullback Keith Lincoln totals 349 yards of offense.
1964-- Following an unprecedented pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope Paul VI met with Greek Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I in Jerusalem. It was the first such meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches in over 500 years (since 1439).
1964 -- The Chargers rout the Patriots 51-10 in the AFL title game as fullback Keith Lincoln totals 349 yards of offense.http://images.nfl.com/history/images/0105.jpg
1965---Top Hits
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She's a Woman - The Beatles
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1967-Inaugural message of Ronald Reagan, California's 33rd governor, delivered during ceremonies in the Rotunda of the State Capitol at midnight. Just before the swearing in, the new governor turned to U.S. Senator George Murphy -- a former movie song-and-dance man -- and said "Well George, here we are on the late show again." The new governor placed his hand on Father Sierra"s bible as he was sworn in by State Supreme Court Justice Marshall F. McComb.
1968- "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" goes gold just nine months after its release. The album package includes an award-winning poster by graphic artist Milton Glaser.
1968--- Dr Benjamin Spock indicted for conspiring to violate draft law
1970- "All My Children" premiered on television. This ABC show became TV's top-rated soap opera by the 1978-79 season and still keeps viewers glued to the screen. “All My Children” was created Agnes Nixon, who had written for “Search for Tomorrow.” “Another World” and “ One Life to Live.” Sit in a place called Pine Valley, NY, the show focused on the Tyler and Martin families. The story includes the illegitimate child of Dr. Tyler, Eric Kane ( played by Susan Lucci), who became one of daytimes TV's most popular characters. Lucci had been nominated more than a dozen times for an Emmy, and finally won one in 19999. This serial has included the cast of Hugh Franklin as Dr. Charles Tyler and Ruth Warrick as his wife, Phoebe; son Lincoln has been played by James Karen, Paul Dumont, Nicholas Pryor and Peter White, daughter Ann by Diana De Vegh, Joanna Miles, Judith Barcorft and Gwyn Gilles.
1970--MILLER, FRANKLIN D. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. place and date: Kontum province, Republic of Vietnam, 5 January 1970. Entered service at: Albuquerque, N. Mex. Born: 27 January 1945, Elizabeth City, N.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Miller, 5th Special Forces Group, distinguished himself while serving as team leader of an American-Vietnamese long-range reconnaissance patrol operating deep within enemy controlled territory. Leaving the helicopter insertion point, the patrol moved forward on its mission. Suddenly, 1 of the team members tripped a hostile booby trap which wounded 4 soldiers. S/Sgt. Miller, knowing that the explosion would alert the enemy, quickly administered first aid to the wounded and directed the team into positions across a small stream bed at the base of a steep hill. Within a few minutes, S/Sgt. Miller saw the lead element of what he estimated to be a platoon-size enemy force moving toward his location. Concerned for the safety of his men, he directed the small team to move up the hill to a more secure position. He remained alone, separated from the patrol, to meet the attack. S/Sgt. Miller single-handedly repulsed 2 determined attacks by the numerically superior enemy force and caused them to withdraw in disorder. He rejoined his team, established contact with a forward air controller and arranged the evacuation of his patrol. However, the only suitable extraction location in the heavy jungle was a bomb crater some 150 meters from the team location. S/Sgt. Miller reconnoitered the route to the crater and led his men through the enemy controlled jungle to the extraction site. As the evacuation helicopter hovered over the crater to pick up the patrol, the enemy launched a savage automatic weapon and rocket-propelled grenade attack against the beleaguered team, driving off the rescue helicopter. S/Sgt. Miller led the team in a valiant defense which drove back the enemy in its attempt to overrun the small patrol. Although seriously wounded and with every man in his patrol a casualty, S/Sgt. Miller moved forward to again single-handedly meet the hostile attackers. From his forward exposed position, S/Sgt. Miller gallantly repelled 2 attacks by the enemy before a friendly relief force reached the patrol location. S/Sgt. Miller's gallantry, intrepidity in action, and selfless devotion to the welfare of his comrades are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
1971-After posting victories in 2,495 straight games dating back to 1962, the Harlem Globetrotters suffered a rare defeat at the hands of their perennial opponents, the Washington Generals. In the closing seconds of a game in Martin, TN, a basket by Red Klotz gave the Generals a 100-99 win.
1972 - United States President Richard Nixon signed a bill instructing NASA to begin research on a manned space shuttle.
1972 - John Denver was awarded a gold record for the album, "Aerie".
1973---Top Hits
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
Clair - Gilbert O'Sullivan
You're So Vain - Carly Simon
She's Got to Be a Saint - Ray Price
1974-The Carpenters' greatest-hits collection, "The Singles 1969-1973," hits #1 The brother-and-sister duo had, by this year, charted eight Top Ten hits, including a pair of Number Ones.
1979 - The soundtrack LP for "Saturday Night Fever" reached $25 million marker in sales.
1979-The Blues Brothers-known better as Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, reportedly ruffle some feathers with their tongue-in-cheek renderings of classic soul songs. However, their biggest supporters are the covered artists themselves. The Blues Brothers album, "Briefcase of Blues" goes to Number One and goes platinum on this date and give the Sam and Dave song, "Soul Man," a new life.
I have all their records and play them often, such as I compile this.
1981---Top Hits
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
One in a Million - Johnny Lee
1982 - a three day rainstorm in the San Francisco, CA area finally came to an end. Marin and Cruz counties were drenched with up to 25 inches of rain. Big snow fell in the Sierra-Nevada range, with accumulations up to eight feet in depth. The storm claimed at least 36 lives and caused more than 300 million dollars damage.
1987-The first year in which the federal budget exceeded $1 trillion was the fiscal year 1988. The budget submitted to Congress by President Ronald Wilson Reagan totaled $1,024.3 billion, or $1.024 trillion, which included revenues of $916.6 billion and projected deficit of $107.8 billion.
1987 - When the Midshipmen defeated East Carolina, 91-66, David Robinson became the first basketball player in the history of the Naval Academy to score over 2,000 points; he went on to become a star in the NBA.
1988- the Columbia Broadcasting System sold CBS Records to the Sony Corporation of Japan. CBS Records began in 1887 as the American Graphophone Company, founded by two English inventors, one of whom was a cousin of Alexander Graham Bell. American Graphophone manufactured dictation machines. Its offspring, the Columbia Phonograph Company, did not begin making records until 1890. Over the years, Columbia Records was owned by an English businessman, a radio and refrigerator manufacturer, a button maker and finally a broadcaster before being sold to Sony.
1988 - Thunderstorms helped produce heavy snow in the Lower Great Lakes Region. Snow fell at the rate of four to five inches per hour, and snowfall totals ranged up to 69 inches at Highmarket NY.
1989---Top Hits
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When You Say Nothing at All - Keith Whitley
1989 - A strong Pacific cold front produced heavy snow and high winds in Nevada. Winds gusted to 80 mph north of Reno, while up to two feet of snow blanketed the Lake Tahoe ski area.
1993 - Mike Ditka was dismissed as Chicago Bears head coach after 32 years as a player and coach (11 seasons as head coach, 106-62). (In 1988, Ditka, who played in five Pro Bowls and two conference championships (1963 and 1971), was the first tight end to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.)
1995- Myra C. Selby, became the first woman and the first black member of the Indiana State Supreme Court.http://www.state.in.us/judiciary/fairness/members/selby.htmlhttp://www.icemiller.com/lawyer_print.aspx?id=882andbioid=212
1996 - After 33 seasons as a head coach, Don Shula retired from the helm of the Miami Dolphins to become part-owner and vice-chairman of the team. Shula left the game as the winningest professional coach of all time with a record, counting regular season and playoff games 347-173-6. His teams made the playoffs 20 times and won two Super Bowls.
1998 - Sonny Bono, age 62, was killed after slamming into a tree while skiing at a resort in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Bono, formerly married to entertainer Cher, had become active in politics following their breakup. He had served as the mayor of Palm Springs, California, and a congressman. The pop duo Sonny and Cher had several big hits, including "The Beat Goes On" and "I've Got You, Babe".